TUKUR MUNTARI examines the internal crises within Kano’s two major political parties, the NNPP and APC, and their implications for the 2027 elections
It is no longer news that the two major political parties in Kano State, the All Progressives Congress and the New Nigeria People’s Party, have been engulfed in internal crises recently.
In the NNPP, the crisis has led to the suspension of the senator representing Kano South Senatorial District, Senator Abdulrahman Kawu Sumaila, and three members of the House of Representatives. Meanwhile, the crisis in the APC followed the plan by the National Chairman of the party, Dr Abdullahi Ganduje, to retain the State Chairman, Abdullahi Abbas.
Though the four suspended National Assembly members of the NNPP have rejected the suspension, claiming it was carried out by an “illegitimate Kwankwaso-based faction” in Kano, another faction led by Senator El-Jibril Doguwa has described the suspension of the federal lawmakers as inconsequential.
Senator Kawu Sumaila is popular in Kano South due to his strong grassroots support. This was the reason he defeated Senator Kabiru Gaya of the APC after defecting to the NNPP during the 2023 elections following his loss to Gaya in the APC primary election.
The crisis in the NNPP began when some top APC members, including Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin and National Chairman, Abdullahi Ganduje, attended the first convocation ceremony of Al-Istiqama University Sumaila, Kano, a university founded by Senator Kawu Sumaila. The next day, Friday, February 28, 2025, they attended the wedding of two daughters of Senator Kawu in Sumaila town.
This event is said to have sparked the crisis and irked the NNPP leadership in the state, leading to Kawu’s suspension. According to the state NNPP Chairman, Hashimu Dugurawa, the decision was made due to alleged anti-party activities. Political observers and analysts, however, cautioned the party leadership about the potential consequences of Kawu’s suspension ahead of the 2027 elections.
A cross-section of the NNPP supporters believes that the suspension of Senator Kawu and the three House of Representatives members will not bode well for the party, given the crisis it faces at the national level.
“It was not long ago that the party experienced a crisis when a faction emerged, leading to the suspension of former SSG, Dr Abdullahi Bappa Bichi, who was subsequently removed, and Commissioner for Transport, Mohammad Diggol, who voluntarily resigned his appointment,” one NNPP supporter, Musa Bala, said.
Shortly after attending Kawu’s daughter’s wedding, the APC national chairman reportedly announced at a function in Kano that Senator Kawu and many others would soon join the APC. The announcement did not sit well with the NNPP leadership in the state.
Last week, the Secretary of Kwankwasiyya Ulama Forum, Malam Yahaya Abdulkadir Aliyu, and 23 executive members of the association defected to the APC and were welcomed to the party by Senator Jibrin.
Also, members of the Coalition of Atiku Support Groups from the 19 Northern States were welcomed into the party by Jibrin and Ganduje last week.
Many believe that if Kawu defects to the APC, it will significantly impact the NNPP, particularly in the southern part of the state, where he enjoys strong support.
A chieftain of the APC in the state and former campaign coordinator for President Bola Tinubu in Kano South during the 2023 election, Alhaji Alhassan Yaryasa, told The PUNCH that if Senator Kawu defects to the APC, the NNPP will definitely lose Kano South because of his strong following in the area.
“The people of Kano South will leave the NNPP because they are not loyal to the party but to the person they elected. If Kawu leaves the NNPP, the party will lose in 2027 and, by implication, the APC will return to power,” Yaryasa said.
According to him, part of the APC’s strategy to reclaim Kano is to bring back all aggrieved party members who left before the 2023 election for various reasons.
“As you know, Senator Kawu and Kabiru Alhassan Rurum were in the APC before they defected to the NNPP. The APC will try to woo them back into the party,” he said.
He further stated that Ganduje’s plan to retain the state chairman of the party is part of the strategy to reclaim the state in 2027.
“If you don’t know, the only person Senator Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso fears in Kano is the state APC Chairman, Abdullahi Abbas. This is why Ganduje is trying to ensure that he remains in office until 2027 to enable him to tackle Kwankwaso,” Yaryasa added.
On the crisis between the state APC chairman and Minister of State for Housing, Abdullahi Ata, the APC chieftain dismissed Ata’s threat to resign as insignificant.
“The minister’s statement is an empty threat because he has little influence in elections. Even if he leaves the party, it will not affect its chances in 2027. Many people have joined the APC already, and more will follow,” he said.
Another APC chieftain and Director-General of the National Productivity Centre, Baffa Dan-Agundi, however, strongly warned against intra-party crises, stating that such wranglings could jeopardise the party’s chances in 2027 if not addressed.
Dan-Agundi expressed his concerns while speaking to newsmen about the recent crisis in Kano APC over the state chairmanship issue.
“We cannot afford to allow misunderstandings, attacks, derogatory comments, and other negative behaviours among our members. This is unacceptable. We must support the government of Bola Tinubu to succeed,” he said.
Amidst these wranglings, Governor Abba Yusuf is more determined than ever to secure re-election in 2027 by delivering the much-needed dividends of democracy.
Recently, Governor Yusuf told the people of the state that his performance in office would speak for him in the 2027 elections.
“What I am worried about is not re-election. I am more concerned about delivering the dividends of democracy based on the mandate given to me in this first tenure. I want the good people of Kano to judge me by my performance at the end of this tenure,” he said during the monthly women’s empowerment programme.
He lamented that enemies of the state, disguised as opposition members, were determined to create political tension.
“We know those people who were massively rejected in both 2019 and 2023. We won against them when we had no political office—not even a councillor. But Allah made it possible for us to win with a landslide victory.”
Yusuf further cautioned the leadership of the APC in Kano State to refrain from making inciting statements and hate speeches that could scare unsuspecting voters eager to exercise their civic rights.
He said, “I am destined to be a governor. It is my total belief and submission to the will of Allah that if He so desires, I will serve a second term. If not, I won’t. So why should I bother myself?”
Source:
punchng.com
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